The Darker Side of Mario Kart
by haingi
Summary: This explains how Mario Kart happened. It touches upon the subjects of why the Mario cast decided to start a Grand Prix, where they got all their rides, and explains the nature of the power-up blocks.
1. Prologue

"Mario… Mario…" The monotonous, nondescript voice said. He or she, for there was no way to tell from just its speech, was devoured by shadows. It had chosen a good place to do business; the wreckage of a cement tower. It was dark at all times of day, and black things flickered at the corners of the guest's eyes, things that he knew were the product of unspeakable evil. Its newly-hired worker shivered, and tried to ignore them. The thought of flying away as soon as the deal was made comforted him enough to keep himself still.

Lakitu squirmed in his little nimbus under the gaze of this stranger. All he could see of it was its eyes, and they blazed crimson under this canopy of eternal night.

"We need to get his attention without kidnapping the princess. If we do that, he will only suspect that bumbling Koopa yet again. No, we must attempt something that has never been done before in this land of mushrooms and monstrosities. We must elude, evade, and eradicate Mario." Its voice became mocking as it talked about the Mushroom Kingdom, as if it were a laughable subject.

Lakitu nodded, it would actually be rather easy to pull off if done correctly. The plan was to advertise for a Grand Prix. The prize for first place would be a monstrous cake homemade by Princess Peach herself. They had already conscripted her into doing it, but only after they agreed to let her compete. They knew she would share the cake with Mario, of course, but if their plan worked Mario would be far, far away from the Mushroom Kingdom by the time the deciding race even began.

Lakitu was being hired by the mysterious figure as a sort of one-man pit crew, but for all the participants. If they lost control and went over into the water or fell off a high edge, Lakitu would have to save them and return them to the track. In between races, he would be the repairman for all of the karts and bikes. It was quite the paycheck for a pretty easy job, so of course Lakitu took it. He didn't like the idea of working for this… this _thing_, though.

He did a hasty check of the cloud to see if everything was in order, and flew away from the rubble in this uncharted corner of the Kingdom. He was so glad to be directly in the sun's rays once more, to have the freedom of flying and disobeying gravity itself. That was all going to change soon, and for the worse, but of course nobody knew that yet.

…Right?


	2. Enter Mario

A red blur zipped by, followed quickly by a gust of wind. Mario was running at top speed, trying to catch up to the Boo he was chasing. He recoiled for a moment at the edge of a cliff, and sprung forward in a long jump to get across it. The toe of his boots just barely touched the grass, but it was still wet with dew and he slipped, crying out in surprise as he waved his hands through the air. His arms landed on the platform, but he was slowly sliding off. He tried to find purchase in the floating dirt at his feet, but his boots just didn't have enough grip.

The Boo had noticed Mario's predicament, and peeked its head over the edge, smiling wide. It stuck its tongue out at the plumber and waved it around, knowing that Mario could do nothing in return. He shook with laughter and did it again.

This time, though, Mario was prepared for it and did something that was bold but necessary. He reached up with one hand, grabbed the huge tongue, and used it as a rope to pull himself up over the edge. The ghoul had been caught by surprise, so all it could do was try to stay over the ground. The endless fall looked perilous even to him, whom was already dead.

Once he was above ground, Mario kept his grip on the Boo, but started to rotate around and around. He started going fast enough that once he let go, the Boo was flung several yards away to a beam of pure light that pervaded the overcast sky. It was quickly and painlessly dissipated into nothingness, never to bother anybody with its pranks again.

Once that was over, the red-clad hero turned and slowly made his way back to the village of Toads, which had been haunted by Boos for weeks and finally had Mario get rid of them. He had been chasing them all over this part of the Kingdom for most of the morning, but thankfully the one he had just defeated was the last of them.

* * *

The Toads were simply ecstatic that the infestation of ghosts was finally over. They thanked Mario, and were even kind enough to give him an ice flower for his troubles. He took it gladly, and stashed it away in his overalls' main pocket. He always liked to have at least one of each power-up on hand, along with a few extra Life Shrooms and 1-Up Mushrooms. They always came in handy in emergencies.

As Mario thanked the Toad that gave the rare flower, a humongous shadow blocked out the sun, catapulting the whole town into darkness. Everybody looked up into the sky to see what was causing the problem. To their shock, it was a blimp flying over the area. There were never any blimps that flew around like that; they were only ever used for special occasions like birthdays of royalty or when Bowser was ridden from the land once more. The blimp itself was a deep purple that immediately attracted attention. It was one of the rarest colors in the Mushroom Kingdom, so it drew attention. It was also a color that bespoke great strength and power, since purpled was the shell of the most elite Koopa Troopa.

After a few seconds, Mario's eyes drifted to the blimp's rear, from which flew a banner, flapping in the wind. It must have been unimaginably large, for it stretched all the way into the distance, advertising many different things. Most prominent among them, though, and also the one closest to the blimp itself, was one advertising for a Grand Prix; a kart race. It called for anybody that wished to participate; from Koopa to Toad to human, and everything in between.

The ad grabbed at Mario's attention; he had already played most sports, but a lot were too complicated or extreme. A race was simple: many people in vehicles going from line to another, maybe with a few twists along the way. He loves the idea of racing: the wind through his hair, the thrill of unmatched speed, and good rivals from all of the other potential competitors.

Mario was going to sign up, yes, this he knew. He looked at the place and time to be, shook his head in anticipation, and ran out of town as quick as he could, with many a yell of excitement and happiness.


End file.
